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Maximising Yield from Sandy Soils: Deep Ripping Benefits and Best Practices
If compaction is a problem on your sandy soils, and deep ripping busts up that compaction, then yes you should expect a yield response. With a few caveats of course.
How much of a yield response will be highly variable and depend on the rip job, season, etc. Trials in the SA Mallee in 2018 and 2019compared various tyne spaces and ripping depths on sandy soils. Despite low growing season rainfall (93–152 mm) and poor yields, ripping still led to a yield increase, up to 235% for deep ripping (50 cm or more).
The caveats
Research suggests ripping in dry seasons can (but not always) have a yield penalty. Crop growth starts off well but the crop hays off when there isn’t enough soil moisture for grain fill.
Doing a good rip job
Ripping needs to happen at the right depth, into the compacted layer. Ripping above the compacted layer won’t do much except take time and use fuel.
Ripping at the right soil moisture. Ripping when the soil is too dry tends to break tynes, use more fuel, and increase wear and tear on the machinery. It’s also harder to operate deeper in dry soil. If there is too much soil moisture, the tynes slice through the soil rather than fracturing it.
Post-ripping management
This is as important as the ripping job itself.
Seedbed preparation for good crop establishment. If the paddock is lumpy and/or soft, poor crop establishment might rob some of your potential yield uplift.
Controlled traffic. Most of the soil recompaction happens in the first pass after ripping. Sticking to tramlines and managing paddock traffic helps preserve the rip.
Nutrition. Crop nutrition needs to meet the new, higher yield potential. Crops might get some nutrients from the soil due to better root exploration, but others will need to be supplied, particularly early season nitrogen.
The best way to know what sort of yield response you will get is to do a test rip.
